Bogdan Bogdanovic will join the Atlanta Hawks on a four-year, $72 million contract after the Sacramento Kings elected not to match the offer sheet he signed. They will now lose Bogdanovic with no return, and the Hawks will add one of the best shooting guards on the market.
The additions of Bogdanovic and Danilo Gallinari should give the Hawks one of the best offenses in the NBA. Both are elite shooters that can handle the ball, but the cost was significant. The Hawks are now largely capped out for the near future, and that is before a possible contract extension for John Collins is factored in. He will be expensive, but the additions of Gallinari and Onyeka Okongwu suggest that he is available in a trade.
The Kings, meanwhile, very nearly got a strong trade return back for Bogdanovic. It was initially reported before free agency began that he would be traded to the Milwaukee Bucks for a package headlined by Donte DiVincenzo. That deal fell apart, and a tampering investigation is ongoing. Instead, Sacramento loses Bogdanovic for nothing, which seems to suggest that they have decided on Buddy Hield, who was benched for Bogdanovic last season, as their shooting guard of the future.
That might be have been a sensible choice from a salary perspective, but it will make it significantly more difficult for the Kings to compete for a playoff spot, even with rookie Tyrese Haliburton replacing him. The Hawks, meanwhile, have set themselves up nicely to do so in the Eastern Conference. Their defense has plenty of holes, but the Hawks should have one of the best offenses in the NBA. They still have a ways to go if they plan to contend for championships, but they should take a major step forward next season.
